Expecting to be served....

If you ever want to get away from real life and experience some serious pampering, go to one of those all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean. We did (okay, it was a gift from my sweet sister in law and my brother). We enjoyed EVERY second of it. We were spoiled rotten. Everywhere we went we were greeted by name. Diego came by every 20 minutes on the beach asking if we needed anything. There were no bills to pay. Servers went out of their way to bring us food that they knew we would eat (yogurt at breakfast, blueberries that had not touched strawberries, honey, fruity drinks with no alcohol). The service was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. We couldn't turn a corner without hearing our names or being served in some way.

And not just served for the sake of being served. But we were served by people who genuinely enjoyed serving. They served because it was their calling. They enjoyed it. They took great delight in it. They rejoiced in serving.

Coming home from that life was HARD. People kept calling my name. I couldn't go to the bathroom alone. There was constantly a death grip on one of my legs or arms by the youngest children 24 hours a day. One insisted on sleeping with us because she missed us so much. I had to wash dishes. Uuggh...the daily grind of life.

As I was out running one day (and it was a stinky run at that), God brought the servers at the resort back to my mind. He brought back to my memory the smiles on their faces and then I quickly saw the grimace on mine. Do I serve whole-heartedly or with an agenda? Do I serve in order to be served? Do I serve begrudgingly? Does my attitude reflect my pleasure in serving? I'll save you the time and effort and answer a loud "YES" to all these! I was convicted of a sour and sinful attitude about serving my family. I have failed at serving right after I was blessed with being served. Somehow I had come to expect service from others without giving of myself in any way. Lord forgive me. My attitude was ugly and the sin in my heart laid bare. Conviction, conviction, conviction.

Today I hope to serve my family well. I pray that I will take the "my pleasure" attitude when washing clothes or dishes or answering the 100th question of the day. I will not expect any service in return but know that I am serving a GREATER AUDIENCE...He deserves my service...with a willing and obedient attitude.